A Ranma ½ King of Fighters crossover fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½ and King of Fighters characters. Especially some macho chick! That's built like a stick! Dumb as a brick! Thighs are too thick! Can't even kick! [WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!] Ugh… shutting up now… oi…
Flames of Destiny
By Insane Blight
Votes (I did not count e-mail votes this time, and I only counted the votes from Chapter 15 to the 4th Interlude):
Chizuru 14
Shermie 12
AN: The winner of the votes is Chizuru and like before it was very close. If you read the news update in my bio a few days back, I told you that I have finished two separate chapters (17a and 17b) for Chizzy and Shermie, and I will post the chapters of the one who won the voting, and it's none other than the Kagura priestess. Now then, onto her storyline, shall we?
# Gomen for those who wanted to see Shermie end up with Ranma, but I think I have something in mind so that you won't be disappointed (No, not a harem!), that is if I can finish Chizuru's story fast enough. I'll explain later, right now I'm going to work my butt off!
Chapter 17: Resurrection Arc: Within the Darkness
Southtown
"Kyo, I'm scared. Something's about to happen… and it's not because of your next match." Yuki involuntarily shivered as she said those words but soon relaxed when she felt Kyo's arms wrap themselves around her waist.
Kyo leaned in and whispered, "I felt it too but I'll be here for you, okay? So don't worry about a thing Yuki. Hmm, I know! You could visit Beni and Goro at the clinic if you still feel uneasy. I'm sure those two will cheer you up… heh, I'm pretty sure Beni will."
Yuki giggled. "Yes, I'm pretty sure he will."
Hero Team and Yagami Team, please go to the arena…
"Well, that's my cue. See you later, Yuki."
Yuki nodded as she watched the Kusanagi heir ran out the door. "Be careful Kyo… mrrmmphh!!!" she whispered right before a hand clamped onto her mouth. She turned around and her eyes widened when she looked into a pair of vicious, blood red eyes.
"Just be a good little girl and shut up, the real party's going to start soon and your boyfriend will not be on it, Yagami will make sure of that one for us."
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now time for the semi-finals matches! But the rules have changed yet again. The simultaneous team battles are over, and the tournament shall now return to its 'classic' one on one matches. Let the tournament begin!
Both Iori and Kyo stepped up at the same time, neither one ever taking their eyes off of each other. Nearly all of the able fighters were watching this match, knowing fully well how Yagami manhandled Kusanagi during last year's tournament and the uncontrollable rage that came out of him when he was denied the victory over his rival once more.
"Hm hm hm hm, this is a surprise. Is the little Kusanagi heir all alone in this match? Did your teammates suddenly have gotten scared and left?" Iori mocked, amused. Vice was nowhere to be found as well but he doesn't care. In fact, it's much better this way, to have no nuisances getting in his way this time around. He will make the most out of this surprising turn of events.
Kyo stood casually, facing away from Iori. "They're out for the rest of the tournament… heh, like you'd care, that's not important right? What's important is that you and I have gotten another chance once more. Now…" He called out his crimson magatama flames as he said, "…Keri o tsukeyoze, Yagami."
Iori did the same, scoffed, and faced away from Kusanagi as he summoned his own magatama. "Kimisama no shi o motte na." (1)
A one on one fight! Representing their teams: Kyo Kusanagi vs. Iori Yagami! There are no time limits, and the only way to win the fight is for either the opponent to admit defeat or to render him unconscious! Now then, start the match!
Iori wasted no time, growling like an animal as he charged at Kyo with his flame-covered hand. Kyo wiped his mouth with his fist before going into a basic magatama-ryu defense stance. Iori clawed his way through the defense all the while wondering why Kusanagi was being so passive. He grabbed Kusanagi's leg and proceeded to throw him up, seconds before he leapt after him, clamped a hand on his head and drove it to the ground.
Kyo groaned a little but recovered fast enough to kick Yagami on the side of the head, knocking him down as well. He flipped back up and took a few steps back, hands flickering as he did so. He yelled as he threw a circular, flaming projectile underneath Yagami. It swirled under its opponent, much like Yagami's paralyzing attack, before it exploded, creating a pillar of flames that swallowed the redhead whole.
The crowd cheered like crazy until they heard an almost inhuman howl from within the flames. They gasped when a hand popped out of it and clamped onto Kyo's face. "I will not go down that easily Kusanagi!"
Iori stepped out of the flame, his clothes burning wildly, and kicked Kyo on the sternum as he released his hold. His purple flames slowly covered his entire body, canceling out Kusanagi's crimson flame in the process.
"Oh yeah? Well, how about this?!"
The redhead smiled when Kyo leapt back at him with a leg angled so it was aimed at his head. He casually walked a few paces and waited for the brash teen to strike. The hit never came as Iori help up a hand and grabbed Kyo's leg in a vice-like grip. He bowed his head, his hair covering his eyes, and chuckled slightly as he said, "I told you… you can't win against me in a real fight!"
Kyo was literally dragged around the arena by a maniacally smiling Iori. He yelled in pain every time Iori reaches a wall, for the redhead would tighten the hold on the leg as he slammed his body several times. This continued on until the Iori decided that it's time to finish him off.
"Hm hm hm hm hm, heh heh heh heh heh, H-gah…!" Iori almost lost his grip on Kyo's leg when he reflexively placed a hand on his mouth as blood unexpectedly began to come out of it. 'The hell?! My heart feels like its going to explode!'
Kyo took this time to go inside Yagami's defenses and delivered three consecutive flame-covered punches, one on the face, one on the chin and the last one struck the redhead's gut. He continued the attack by grabbing Iori on the shirt, lifting him up with both hands, and then set him on fire. His eyes widened when Iori countered the move by grabbing his head and delivering multiple purple flame bursts to him, thus loosening his grip on the redhead's already burned shirt.
"Damn it!" Kyo cursed, removing his jacket, and leaving only his white shirt that has also seen better days. 'It's like I'm fighting a goddamn machine!'
"Grr… hell with this!" Iori tore his burning upper clothing, wiped some blood off his mouth and charged at his nemesis with seemingly sharper fingers than before. "Die, Kusanagi!!!"
The Kusanagi heir blocked and parried the claw strikes and slashes. Once in awhile, he would get a couple of hits in after Iori missed. He finally had the opening he was waiting for when Iori lunged at him with both hands. He allowed himself to fall backwards, grabbed Iori by the arms and tossed him up. He flipped back up, snapped his fingers and awaited the descent of the redhead with his crimson flame.
"Burn in hell Yagami! Kurai Yagare!"
"It's over, I thought Yagami would put up more of a fight but, I guess this is as far as he goes." Mature said off-handedly. She doesn't care what happens in this bout, but she was enjoying the thrashing Kusanagi was giving to the person who almost killed her a year ago.
Ranma was leaning on a wall and playing with his ponytail as he spoke, "For someone who has extensive knowledge of Orochi and its clan, you sure are underestimating Yagami."
Mature glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean by that, Ranma?"
"Can't you feel it? His bloodlust for Kyo Kusanagi, his unquenchable thirst for vengeance, it is getting stronger as this bout continues. There is one other thing that you didn't sense, but I guess you must've blocked it out of your mind after experiencing it first hand…"
"What are you…?" The blonde paused when realization kicked in. She looked back at the fight to see Iori, even though badly burned, was now hunched over as Kusanagi watches in shock. "…The Riot of Blood, is he going into it again?"
Ranma smirked, although he felt a chill go up his spine. "Gee, wonder what gave you that idea?"
"Gwooaaaahhhhh!"
Kyo never had a chance, despite his efforts to avoid the slashes, they still hit him. Then, he found himself forced into a corner, with no way out. He tried to escape but the results weren't pretty. His eyes have gone blank when his body was tossed repeatedly from side to side from Riot of Blood Iori's inhuman slashes. The berserker growled and tore some more flesh out of his rival's mutilated body and at some instances he would bring his hands to his face, like an animal savoring the scent of flesh and blood.
Someone stop this already! The fight is over! Someone please stop Yagami!
The crowd was at a frenzy, they expected both Terry and Andy Bogard to interfere since they were the closest fighters to the two, but they never expected another redhead to jump into the arena and pushed Blood Riot Iori back with her hands. Vice seemed to be ready to fight her partner despite her fears but it was unnecessary. Blood Riot Iori's body swayed back and forth before dropping to the ground.
Ranma watches the bloody scene with a slight shudder while his partner, who was standing right behind him, had a small smile on her face. 'Two birds with one stone. Perfect, Kusanagi and Yagami are out of the way, now onto the hard part…'
Please calm down everyone! Please calm down! There is still one match to be held! Please control yourselves everyone!
It has been an hour after that vicious assault by Iori and the crowd was still restless. Some of them even tried getting into the place where Iori was resting in hopes to kill the berserker. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which side you're on, security was tight and Vice was looking after the sleeping redhead. They were arrested before their plans could even come to fruition.
"Let me get this straight, he went 'riot' but at the same time, didn't?" Ranma asked curiously.
Mature looked at him with an amused expression. "Now look who's at a loss. His body did not change, remember? My guess is that it was only a brief surge, nothing more. Perhaps his desire to kill Kusanagi was too much."
"Perhaps…"
Phew, thank you for your cooperation. The next match is between the Boss Team and the Hakkeshu Team! The first bout is between Wolfgang Krauser and Ranma Saotome!
The armor-clad man stepped forward with arms crossed while Ranma glared daggers at both Geese and Krauser. Geese smiled and decided to have a little talk with the teen. "I take it you didn't like being brought here by force?"
"Not as much as I first thought. I had no qualms being brought here, I am even a little thankful to you two for doing so, but what I didn't like was you threatening to make the people that knew me suffer if I did not accept the invitation." He said, growling out the last part.
Geese's body shook when he started laughing maniacally. "I see, then you'll probably going to hate me more with what I'm about to say. You see, I did not live up to my word…"
"What did you say?!"
Geese held a hand up. "Hear me out. Yes, some of my men are still in Japan, monitoring those people from afar. I guarantee that they will eliminate your friends and family if you do not follow everything that I say from this point on."
Ranma was shaking uncontrollably. His hair was changing colors and the only reason he hasn't lost it yet was because he still had the desire to protect his loved ones. He did not want this bastard to harm his friends and family, especially his mother.
"But if I did that, Krauser will not be pleased at all. That's why I am giving you a chance, sort of an all-or-nothing kind of deal. If you win against the two of us, my men will back down and will never come near your loved ones ever again but if you lose to either one of us…" Geese's face turned darker and his smile became crueler. "…not only will you serve us, but their lives shall be forfeited! They will be executed the moment you lose."
"I'll KILL YOU!"
Ranma charged at Geese but he was flung back by a thrust kick from the emperor of darkness. The ponytailed teen quickly stood up but he immediately went back down. He noticed that his knees were shaking uncontrollably and his balance was a little unstable, his vision blurred for a moment as well. 'Wha…? What's happening to me?'
"If you want Geese so badly, you have to go through me first." 'It seems your ploy worked, brother.'
"Cut the satellite feed right now! We do not want the whole world to see this!" Chizuru shouted to Reiko and the rest of the staff. 'The brief change in hair color, those eyes, it's the one he has told me about. If his power is just like Goenitz' then this arena could very well be destroyed…'
Reiko immediately nodded, even though she doesn't understand what got Chizuru so riled up. "H-Hai, Chizuru-sama!" she quickly replied. 'What do we do now when the Hakkeshu begins their move? There are roughly about twelve able fighters left and some of them are not on our side…'
Off to one side of the arena, Terry's eyes narrowed upon hearing those words from Geese, mostly because that it was not like him to use an opponent's family and friends as threats, not in a fair fight anyway… unless…
Mature was frowning on the outside but she was actually grinning like a Cheshire cat on the inside. This could be the very break that the Hakketsu Shuu needed to begin their plan. If those two nincompoops continue to rile the Orochi half-breed up, he would either go into the Riot of Blood or if things go the way she wanted, Ranma would consciously start wrecking havoc inside this arena, just like what Goenitz did last year.
Either way, things are going their way from now on, and the best part is that Kagura can't do a damn thing about it.
Dies irae, dies illa, solvet saeclum in favilla, teste David cum Sybilla
"Leg Tomahawk!"
Ranma attempted to block the leg strike with both of his hands but once again, he was flung back by the surprising amount of force behind it, sending him down to the ground hard. He groaned a bit but had very little time to recover when he rolled to the side to barely avoid being squashed by Krauser's foot. He continued rolling until Krauser caught up, in which he had no choice but to catch another oncoming foot stomp. He caught it but it soon broke through his hold and connected to his face, burying his head inside the small crater that formed from the attack.
Krauser frowned; this isn't what he was expecting from the boy. He expected some sort of challenge, and he wanted to witness the power that the boy wielded during his previous fight with Terry Bogard. But now it seems that little trick of Geese to bring out the boy's full power seemed to have backfired. At this rate, the boy would be destroyed before he even breaks a sweat. "Hmph… no challenge at all…?"
Ranma grabbed Krauser's feet with his hands, wrapped his legs around Krauser's leg and began to twist it with the full intent of breaking it in two, but before he could do so, Krauser punched him in the gut twice to force him to remove the hold and leave him squirming in pain. 'So much power…'
Quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus
'How? How can he be a lot more powerful than me?' Ranma thought as he struggled to get to his feet. He can blow up a building to pieces… that much he knows. Both his riot and awakened form can literally destroy an entire mountain, yet this guy was able to bring him down without even trying. What is going on? "Damn…"
Geese smiled. "Having trouble fighting my half-brother? It is to be expected. Or did you really delude yourself that you can win against us by just throwing unfocused energy here and there?"
"W-What?"
"What he means is…" Krauser continued. "…you are powerful, but you can't even harness your own energy properly. You throw projectiles so recklessly that I'm almost inclined to think that you don't know the very basics in gathering it. From what I observed with your battle with Bogard, that ki blast you threw was based on your emotions… a pathetic attack in my book."
Geese nodded, his grin was getting wider. "I don't think that Terry Bogard took that fight seriously. You should feel lucky to even be here because I truly believe that he took it easy on you boy."
Gritting his teeth, Ranma stood up and glared at the smirking Geese, before turning back to a slightly bored Krauser. His eyes turned purple as he took up a stance and said, "Come on… I'll show you what I'm made of."
Quantus tremor est futurus, Dies illa, Dies illa
Krauser's eyes widened when Ranma disappeared. He leapt back in surprise when Ranma reappeared right in front of him. 'Masking his presence? Hmph, it's not good enough Saotome.' He thought, preparing to kick the ponytailed boy but he was astounded yet again with another incredible burst of speed.
"Dokuja Tanketsu Sho!" Ranma aimed for the heart but the Strolheim heir blocked it with his right arm. He snarled and pushed through, shattering Krauser's gauntlet to pieces, and sending his opponent skidding back from the blow. "Don't ever underestimate me! I never lose, not when the lives of my family and friends are on the line!"
"Interesting…" Krauser chuckled, gazing at Ranma with fiery eyes. "…very interesting indeed. Perhaps you don't need any energy attacks to be effective. Let's continue, shall we? You could become a worthy opponent after all."
The two fighters blurred and met in the middle, arms clashing and all. The two kept exchanging blows, neither one of them was letting up. Whatever one of them dished out, the other would return it with interest. Ranma managed to punch his opponent's other gauntlet and was successful in shattering it but Krauser countered by grabbing him on the shoulder and delivering a thunderous headbutt, instantly drawing blood.
Ranma drove his knee to Krauser's stomach and jumped back, ignoring the blood trickling down his face as he quickly cupped his hands. Krauser smiled, pulled back his hand and gathered his own energy.
"Blitz Ball!"
"Mouko Takabisha!" Ranma yelled, but he froze when his attack was nullified and Krauser's seemed to have gained more power as it speeds toward him. He cursed, concentrated once more and held both of his hands forward this time. "Mouko Takabisha… Double!!!"
Quantus tremor est futurus, quando judex est venturus, cuncta stricte discussurus
The first confidence-based projectile was also absorbed by Krauser's blitz ball but the other one got through and was now headed for the mildly surprised Krauser. He smiled and charged right into the golden wave of energy. He took the brunt of the attack but he was hardly affected at all. Krauser chuckled to himself but stopped when he saw a serious Ranma, who has the blitz ball between his hands.
"Is this what you're bragging about?! Fine! Let's see how you take it!" Ranma threw the projectile back with the same amount of force that his opponent did when it was first called out.
Krauser merely laughed and casually kicked the projectile to the roof of the arena, blowing it up, and causing the crowd to panic. His laughter was put to a halt when he received a forceful blow to the chest, sending him flying back, way back, outside of the arena to be exact.
"Mouko Kaimon Ha!"
Ranma went down to his hands and knees, and wiped some sweat under his chin with his fist. His moment of rest was short-lived when he saw Krauser walking back to the arena with an even bigger smile than before. 'I guess… it's time to finish this…'
Both Krauser and Ranma arch their arms back, gathering whatever power they have left and prepared themselves for the final blow. For Krauser, a bluish energy formed around his hands as he cupped them in front of him while instead of his confidence-based ki blast, twin sets of flames appeared out of Ranma's before he did the same.
"Kaiser Wave!!!"
"Honoo!"
Cuncta stricte discussurus
The resulting collision of energies resulted in a huge explosion, blinding everyone with it. When the light and the dust settled, there lay the two fighters, struggling to get to their feet just a few paces outside of the now heavily destroyed arena. The crowd was surprisingly still into it, cheering on the two combatants to finish their fight though Ranma has other things going on in his mind…
'I have to win this match, I have to!' He thought through clenched teeth, finally getting up due to sheer will power. He growled like an animal when he saw that Krauser was still struggling to get to his feet. His eyes flashed as he sprinted forward, crouched with his hands clasped together, pulled back and hit Krauser with a two-handed uppercut.
Geese watched with a slight frown when his half-brother was sent crashing to a nearby wall. His frown deepened when there was no movement amongst the rubble for quite awhile. He shook his head and chuckled, "Heh, looks like I'm up next."
Krauser is down and out! Ranma Saotome wins! Now onto the next bout, Geese Howard vs. Ranma Saotome! You may start whenever you two are ready!
Ranma could barely even stand as he watched Geese step up with that confident look. 'I can't lose… I can't lose… I can't lose… to protect my family and friends… I CAN'T LOSE!!!' He thought with determined eyes, concentrating his energy onto his hands once more. "Mouko Takabisha!!!"
"Hmph, Reppuken!"
Just like his brother's projectile, Geese's Reppuken conveniently went right through Ranma's ki blast, forcing the ponytailed boy to jump in the air to avoid the oncoming projectile. Geese tilted his head up and just chuckled when Ranma dove for him with a hand aimed for his head. "Childish…" he muttered, catching the half-breed's outstretched hand and twisted it, flipping Ranma up and causing him to fall face first to the floor.
Ranma was still wincing in pain as he lay on the floor before he screamed when Geese stomped on his shoulder as he pulled at one of his arms. But Geese could only maintain this hold for so long when Ranma engulfed himself in purple flames, making the blonde jump back in surprise.
"Impudent kid."
"Why? Why do you want this accursed blood? What do you think you can achieve by having this inside your human body? What is it that you want?" Ranma asked as his flaming form slowly stood up.
Geese turned his back at the ponytailed teen and chuckled. "You take your power for granted, that's why you wouldn't understand. We humans on the other hand, have to work hard to get to the same level of power, like myself. I am an ambitious man, boy. I will do everything in my power to rule the world and I do believe that the Orochi blood is the missing piece of the puzzle. Hmph, I think you get the picture, that's why I need you to unlock the secret."
"You foolish bastard, no one outside of the bloodline can fully control Orochi's power! Those humans who strive to do so shall meet their early demise! The Yasakani clan is a clear example of this! Do you really think that you can enjoy having this power? You'll just become yet another mindless killer who has given up on his humanity! But I guess someone who uses his opponent's family and friends as leverage, you could care less about becoming a demon!"
Ranma was already too enraged when he recklessly charged at Geese to even notice the dark-blue glow forming around his opponent's hands. 'I'll kill you Geese!'
"Raging Storm!"
Ranma was catapulted, spraying blood along the way, to the far side of the arena, where he was promptly buried under huge piles of rocks and debris. His eyes have gone blank, and he wasn't showing any kind of movement at all. The crowd was death silent; some were leaning closer to get a good look at the downed ponytailed boy. The fighter's themselves were at a loss for words. 'Did he kill him?' was the thought going through their minds.
Terry and Geese stared at each other, from the scowl on Terry's face to the smirk in Geese's, you could easily tell what the other was thinking.
R-Ranma Saotome is down and maybe seriously hurt, the winner of the bout is… huh? Kami-sama!
Geese broke his gaze and turned around to see the Orochi half-breed's outstretched hand, moving rapidly even when the rest of his body was still crushed under the debris. He frowned, walked closer and could've sworn that he heard some kind of loud heartbeat coming from the boy.
The crowd gasped when Ranma amazingly began to stand up. Chizuru and Mature's eyes widened for completely different reasons when the ponytailed boy's hair became a mixed color of black and violet and his body turned a couple of shades paler. For Chizuru it's because this is truly what Ranma warned her about, and from the looks of things, it seems that his power has increased yet again. For Mature, it seems that her prayers were answered, and the resurrection of their god can finally begin.
'Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill, Kill… no choice, I have no choice, I have to protect all of them… come to me, my dark flame…'
Ranma stood up amidst the rubble, bloodied body and all, and the purple flames that were scattered all over the arena surprisingly began to go into his body. He looked up, gazed at Geese with cold, purple eyes and spoke in an eerily calm voice, "Do you really think that I'll serve you? Geese Howard, I am the Orochi Hakketsu Shuu of the sacred flame, one of the four Heavenly Kings of Orochi. I will not bow down to the likes of you. You humans on the other hand… shall bow to me!"
Geese took a step back from Ranma's sudden change in attitude. But that wasn't the reason and he knew it. Bloodlust, he has an insurmountable amount of bloodlust, far beyond the level of any human. Is this what the boy was talking about earlier? Is this the cost of having Orochi blood inside you? Abandoning your human side as you embraced the other?
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're chickening out. You wanted this, didn't you? You forced me to go back to my awakened form. Now… you have to be ready for the consequences!"
A sickening crack was heard when Ranma vanished from his place and punched Geese on the face as he suddenly reappeared right in front of him. He licked his hand and with a sick smile he said, "Let's enjoy ourselves some more, shall we?" 'Kill, I have to kill them all.'
Ranma never allowed his opponent to even have a chance to defend himself, and each time he delivered an attack, in the form of a simple punch or a kick, a loud crack can be heard coming from Geese's body. His power right now was obviously far beyond what he showed to the residents of Nerima. How that happened, nobody knows, except maybe Ranma himself. "Hmm, I guess you're right, a concentrated attack does wonders for the body… your body!"
He dropped Geese's bloody form, stomped on his head and summoned the sacred flames. "This is true power, Geese… and this is as close as you can get to it. Die and meet your maker!"
The crowd was rushing towards the exits, in fear of being burned alive by the sacred flames. Some of the fighters decided to stay and watch, you'll never know, the ponytailed boy could very well be just like Goenitz. They're ready to fight if Ranma attempts to harm one spectator.
A smile slowly appeared on Mature's face as she realized what was happening. The awakening! Has he finally chosen as to which side he'll join? She could only hope that his choice was the same as hers. She jumped slightly when someone grabbed her on the shoulder. She turned and looked right into a smirking Vice. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"One of the Heavenly Kings has fully awakened, which means that it won't be long until the seals on the other two wears off and I have a feeling that one of the other two has already awakened as well. But there is one problem that we need to discuss right away, Mature."
Mature smiled and shook her head. "Not right now. We'll do it when we arrive back to Japan, when all of those with Orochi blood are gathered inside the temple."
"Agreed."
Off to the other side, Chizuru's eyes narrowed upon seeing the two smiling female Hakketsu Shuu. "Ranma's on a rampage and all they do is smile and watch from the sidelines? It's certainly different from their horrified reactions when Iori lost it last tournament."
"The Four Heavenly Kings of Orochi… isn't that what Goenitz said?" Reiko asked in a shaky voice. "Chizuru-sama, what shall we do?"
"We just watch. Despite appearances, Ranma is still in control of himself and his target isn't us or the crowd, it's his two opponents, and I think that he will not let anybody get in his way. In a way, I think that both Geese and Krauser brought this upon themselves."
"What?!"
Billy Kane, along with a couple of Geese's men (2), jumped into the arena and forcefully shoved Ranma aside. "We can't let you do that to our boss, Orochi scum."
Ranma chuckled darkly, getting up and grinning at the group of men in front of him. "Is that so? Then I'll ask you this question…" he trailed off as he seemingly disappeared yet again. It was not the Umisenken, that's for sure. It's just that his speed has been increased to the point that, even to some of the fighters, it will look like he's teleporting. An ability Chizuru already witnessed during her battle against Goenitz.
"…Who's going to stop me?" The Hakkeshu whispered, appearing beside Geese's subordinate. "It's certainly not those guys." He pointed towards the unconscious forms around Billy but Geese was surprisingly nowhere in sight. "Perhaps you could do it. That is if you're not chickening out like your boss."
Billy's weapon suddenly broke into several parts and he began to spin them around himself. Billy paused and turned around, only to see a grinning Ranma. 'Can't be… I hit him several times in a row! How?'
"Bye-bye Billy!"
Flames spurted from the ground and wrapped itself around Billy's body. Ranma snapped his fingers and the flames started to burn Billy alive. It was unknown at this point if he even survived the initial attack much less the flames that continue to burn his skin. Ranma frowned as he noticed some movement to the side. "And where do you think you're going, Krauser?"
Krauser smiled slightly, clutching his shoulder. "Nowhere, I only want to finish where we left off. I finally have a worthy opponent to fight and I will certainly not let it pass me by."
"Omoshiroi (3), despite your current condition, you're still willing to fight? I'm impressed Krauser, a warrior through and through, eh?" Ranma said with a bit of respect despite the fact that he hates the guy's guts. "Very well human, for such valor, your death shall be swift!"
The fight or lack thereof, ended with just one blow. Krauser charged forward, only to receive a fatal blow to the chest in the form of a small, concentrated, flaming projectile that struck his heart and went out his back. He fell to the ground, frantically gasping for air.
Ranma gazed at his flame as if it's the most beautiful thing in the world. "Humans… ambitious, cruel and resilient, Geese is a perfect example of this. You on the other hand, allow your lust for battle to overwhelm you. No, that's not right. You're actually looking for someone to end your life, that's why you continue to fight. Well? Am I right?"
Silence was all he got as Krauser was already having a hard time just trying to breathe.
"Hm hm hm, if that's your response then I guess… I can finish you off now." He knelt beside Krauser and clamped a hand around his throat. "Can't say I'm sorry, you two did threaten to kill my mother. Don't worry human, I did promise that your death shall be quick. Farewell, oh mighty lord of darkness…"
Ranma grabbed the throat tighter as he pulled his arm up. Krauser's body shook for a couple of seconds more before it finally stopped moving. Ranma stood up, frowning. He bowed his head slightly; just enough so that his bangs covered his eyes, and gazed at his bloodied hand. 'Was there no other way? Was there no other way than to kill…?'
(1) – Let's settle this, Yagami; Yeah, with your death!
(2) – This is Southtown, so of course Geese's men are around.
(3) – Interesting
AN: Yeah, Krauser kicked the bucket. That was also his music in '96, Dies Irae. Sorry if Iori and Kyo's fight didn't live up to expectations, but it is necessary for the story to advance. In any case, the Orochi Hakketsu Shuu shall finally make their move next chapter. A lot of familiar scenes from the game are coming up, with a few important changes along the way. Oh, and two opposing sides shall battle it out, and neither one of them is from the Orochi clan!
I hope I can update tomorrow as well, ja ne!
Next Our purpose is to serve our god!
Where does he go from here? What will he do? What path shall a troubled soul take?
'It was useless to believe that I can have a normal life… a human life… I guess there really is no such thing for me, no such thing at all…'